Gold Coast production company, Glass Media Group, has partnered with TAFE Queensland and four Gold Coast high schools to create another series of anti-bullying advertisements.

Gold Coast production company Glass Media Group has partnered with TAFE Queensland and four local high schools to create a new series of anti-bullying advertisements for 2018. They highlight the effect bullying has on Australian children and aims to inspire change.

The commercials have been conceptualised and co-produced again by Diploma of Screen and Media (CUA51015) students and feature students from Pimpama State Secondary College, Robina State High School, Coomera Anglican College, and Varisty College.

The Stop Bullying Now red carpet launch and exclusive premiere screening took place on Wednesday 21 November at the new Event Cinemas Coomera Westfield complex in the Vmax Cinema.

General Manager of TAFE Queensland - Gold Coast Region, Karen Dickinson stated that TAFE Queensland is proud to be involved in this vitally important grassroots approach to stamp out bullying in our schools and workplaces.

“Our partnership with Glass Media Group is now in its second year with the Stop Bullying Now campaign, with our students having worked with them at recent sporting and cultural events hosted by the city,” said Ms Dickinson.

“It has been exciting to once again see our screen and media students create outstanding work for this important campaign, under the professional guidance of Christopher Boyd and his team, for their final assessment of the year.”

“These students have received hands-on experience through this partnership. However, more than just creating a social awareness campaign, we are honoured to see the empathy and heart of all the students involved."

“Our students are making a positive difference to our local community by creating these impactful and genuine conversation starters in order to help stop bullying."

In 2017 the students wrote and co-produced the initial series of Public Service Announcements for the campaign which were aired on local free to air networks during the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

“It’s been a project about students, created by the students for an issue that affects all students,” continued Ms Dickinson.

“With 45.7 percent of Queensland students reporting they were bullied in some way this past year, we are proud that our students are spreading the word to this generation to stop bullying now, using film and social media platforms to spread the word.”

“If we can harness society as a whole to change their behaviour to stop bullying, future generations will be better off,” said Karen Dickinson.

Founder and Executive Producer of Glass Media Group Christopher Boyd says, “we hope people will get behind these great adverts once again, and spread the word to make people stop and realise their actions do in fact hurt others.”

“The 2017 campaign was such a huge success with the commercials being seen by hundreds of thousands of people on television.”

“This year we have a cyber bullying focus in the messaging and we are very fortunate to have secured the rights to one of Australia’s all time biggest hit songs, Don't be Reckless by Australian Crawl, which serves as the soundtrack and creates a massive impact for all four commercials,” said Mr Boyd.

The initial campaign was recognised at the highest level in the state, with Mr Christopher Boyd being invited to attend the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Anti-bullying Roundtable meeting earlier this year.

Highlighting the problem of cyberbullying and the nature of how typing insults is essentially no different for the victim than if it was happening in person.

Part of the crowd

Focusing on the bystanders to bullying situations and uniquely shot from a first-person perspective witnessing a bullying event in person and then watching back the recorded event online.

Cyber stalking

Visually dissecting the idea of social media being present around us at all times and the disturbing nature of how we can invite strangers into our lives, cyberbullying can follow its victims wherever they go at all times of the day.

Generation

Highlighting the nature of modern bullying events being filmed live and streamed to the internet. The perpetrators are then confronted with a clear message.